Release Information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 2012 (EMBARGO LIFTED)

Philadelphia's Household Income at $34,207 in 2011, American Community Survey Shows

The median household income in Philadelphia was $34,207 in 2011, compared with the national figure of $50,502 according to statistics released today from the 2011 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, 14.5 percent of people in Philadelphia did not have health insurance coverage, which was not significantly different from 15.1 percent nationally. A selected profile of Philadelphia appears below, including statistics on education, housing and the foreign-born population.

"The American Community Survey provides a wide range of important statistics about our nation's people, housing and economy for all communities in the country - including Philadelphia," said Thomas Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau's acting director. "The results are used by everyone from retailers, homebuilders and police departments, to town and city planners."

The survey is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as educational attainment, housing, employment, commuting, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry and selected monthly homeowner costs down to the smallest communities.

Other selected highlights for Philadelphia:

Education

In 2011, 51.9 percent of the preschool age population was enrolled in school, which was not significantly different from 47.4 percent in the nation as a whole.

Among Philadelphia's 25-and-older population, 80.8 percent completed high school or more, compared with 85.9 percent in the nation as a whole.

Meanwhile, 23.6 percent of the 25-and-older population had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 28.5 percent nationally.

Housing

In 2011, the median value for an owner-occupied home was $142,000. In the nation as a whole, the value was $173,600.

In 2011, the median gross rent (rent plus utilities) was $853, compared with $871 for the nation as a whole.

Foreign-Born Population

About 12.5 percent of people in Philadelphia were foreign-born, which was not significantly different from 13.0 percent in the nation as a whole.

More information about Philadelphia's social, economic and housing characteristics, as well as information on other geographies, can be found on the Census Bureau's American FactFinder website. The 2011 American Community Survey one-year estimates are available for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district, every metropolitan area, and all counties and places with populations of 65,000 or more. Estimates for areas with smaller populations will be available later this year.